Peter Kimani will discuss his latest book ‘Dance of the Jakaranda’, published by Saqibooks:
1963. Kenya is on the verge of independence from British colonial rule. In the Great Rift Valley, Kenyans of all backgrounds come together in the previously white-only establishment of the Jakaranda Hotel. The resident musician is Rajan Salim, who charms visitors with songs inspired by his grandfather’s noble stories of the railway construction that spawned the Kenya they now know.
One evening, Rajan is kissed by a mysterious woman in a shadowy corridor. Unable to forget the taste of her lavender-flavoured lips, Rajan sets out to find her. On his journey he stumbles upon the murky, shared history of three men – his grandfather, the owner of the Jakaranda and a British preacher – who were implicated in the controversial birth of a child. What Rajan unearths will open his eyes about the birth not just of a child, but of an entire nation.
Speaker: Peter Kimani
Discussant: Dr Kwadwo Osei-Nyame, Jnr (SOAS)
Chair: Dr Chege Githiora (SOAS)
Book your free seat here: bit.ly/DanceOfTheJakaranda
Author biography:
Peter Kimani is an award-winning Kenyan novelist. He was one of three international poets to compose and present a poem for National Public Radio to mark Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009. A prominent journalist on Kenya’s national news circuit, Kimani’s work has also appeared in The Guardian, New African and Sky News. He teaches journalism at the Aga Khan University’s Graduate School of Media and Communications in Nairobi, and is presently the Visiting Writer at Amherst College in the United States. Kimani was awarded the Jomo Kenyatta Prize for literature, Kenya’s highest literary honour, in 2011.
Contact email: cas@soas.ac.uk
More Events in Greater London Listings MORE
SKELETON CREW
“I’m not asking you to make up happy endings. All I’m asking is that you tell ’em they…
Housemates Returns: Before I Go
Follow Ajani, a young boy who tragically dies and gets stuck in limbo and forced to undergo overcoming…
Suzie Larke: Unseen
Logic-defying work by photographer Suzie Larke, who returns to our site with new images raising awareness and sparking…
Afrique en Cirque
Roll up, roll up for an indescribable display of acrobatics, artistry and Afro-jazz rhythms in a joyous circus…
The Headhunters
The legendary jazz-funk ensemble co-led by percussionist Bill Summers and drummer Mike Clark with NEA Jazz Master Donald…
Windrush Foundation – The Caribbean And The Second World War
Join us on 27th July 2024 from 4-6pm at the West Indian Association of Service Personnel for an…
Queen Ifrica
Reggae icon Queen Ifrica, The Royal Empress, comes to the UK for an exclusive London show this July….
Image of the Black at Tate Britain
Two hour unscripted tour of Tate Britain to reveal the Black presence in the collection from the sixteenth…